Our Young Gamechangers

Meet our Young Gamechangers that are transforming their communities

• The LUNA Project by Sophie Mattholie aged 21. This project will champion the voices of young disabled people in medical and educational settings and advocate and support young disabled people through lived experience.

• QSA Space CIC – Vinay Jobaputna aged 22 is developing this organisation championing queer South Asian identity through an intersectional lens, focusing on inclusivity, empowering youth and community.

• Mulgrave Street Action Group CIC. Mulgrave Street Action Group was founded by Khan Odita who was then 14 (now 16). He has made and looks to make further transformational change in his area in Liverpool. The group is focusing on the eradication of fly-tipping on the street and turning a disused wasteland into a community garden, near to his home.

• Transilience CIC – Oscar Sharples aged 21 is working to support trans young people within their community and develop a network of trans-supportive organisations to help amplify their aims. A quarter of young trans people in North Devon are also homeless, and they also want to tackle this.

• Diversified via Kaydi Scottsville, aged 17. Diversified is an autistic youth-led charity, using lived experience to support other autistic young people. It also aims to lead change for neurodivergent youth by making communities safer, more inclusive and accessible.

• Dumfries & Galloway Young Womens Network, through Hannah Birse, aged 22. With the funding they’ll receive, they aim to empower local women and girls through International Women’s Day Conference 2024 that will be open for anyone to attend and then run annually,

• Tempo Maguires GAC. The youth-led initiative is driven by three young individuals, aged 13 and 14, who actively contribute to their youth club. This funding will empower its young leaders through developing their work so that they can develop skills whilst at the same time helping other young people.

• Inclusive Sportswear CIC – 24-year-old Tess Howard’s social enterprise. Tess is a current Team GB and England Hockey Player and Commonwealth Gold medalist. Her organisation believes ‘Every Body Belongs’ in sport and sports kit should never be a barrier to participation or enjoyment. Funding will enable the production of kits and learning platform online and building a community of sports individuals.

• Muslim Northern Women via Roukagia Afon, aged 22. This initiative focuses on addressing the specific needs of working-class Muslim girls. Their programme works to empower these young women, offering support and opportunities they may have missed due to a lack of understanding of the intersecting and holistic needs of young Muslim women in traditional youth programmes.

• Emotional Dysregration in Autism through Ze Ze Sohawan, aged 22. This project aims to empower young leaders. The funding will allow them to focus on establishing a peer mentoring program, provide essential training, host confidence-building events, and enhance accessibility for autistic youth engagement, improving mental health and autism services in their local area.

• International Centre of Integration and Cohesion, via Ahmed Ismail, aged 18.This project will provide support to asylum seekers and refugees with an emphasis on mental health.

• The Babylon Migrant Project – Ali Ghaderi, a 22-year-old actor and activist from Iran, now based in London, founded the Babylon Migrants Project in 2022 to support young refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. The organisation is run by a team of young people, drawing from their personal experiences to act as role models and advise other young people facing similar challenges. Funding will be used to continue running fortnightly workshops, expand to a summer programme, and empower participants with day trips and leadership roles.

• Boxes of Basics via Linda Smith, aged 20, and Emily Louise, aged 21. They are leading the “Bottles of Hope” project to support communities in Haringey, Hackney, and Barnet. Linda’s firsthand experience in a low-income household and Emily’s struggles as a single mother fuel their mission to break the cycle of poverty for families with young children. The initiative focuses on providing food packages tailored for infants and toddlers in low-income families.

• BME TV FM via Ewemade Orobator, aged 21. A group of Croydon youth leaders are spearheading the “Empowering Futures: Climate Change Education and Youth Leadership” initiative, implementing a ground-breaking climate change curriculum.

• Wigle Dance CIC via Gemma Watkin, aged 20. Funding will support “Looking Up in Leigh,” an initiative aimed at empowering the next generation of creatives in Leigh. The project envisions young leaders actively participating in local community and council decision-making to influence creative programmes and challenge negative perceptions.

• Millers Youth Forum via Hamaad Hussein, aged 18. The Rotherham United Youth Forum is a group of diverse young people aged between 14 and 18. Funding will support raising awareness about the dangers of vaping through initiatives, including setting up collection points, creating sculptures from recycled vapes, educational workshops, school engagements, and social media campaigns.

• Creatives Now CIC via Hester Overton, aged 16. Funding will empower its core group of 12 young members (ages 12-17) through supporting an extensive, year-long project focusing on youth agency and participation in cultural activities in Bolton.

• Bridging Barriers a youth-led charity founded by Kevin Osei, aged 24. It aims to enhance support for young people from underrepresented backgrounds seeking employment through virtual masterclasses and quarterly networking events via their mentoring programme.

• Mungano via Murtadha Al-Jahadmy, aged 19. This is a group of young people in Leeds who are working to fight crime and anti-social behaviour in their community. The team, aged between 19 and 22, is passionate about promoting empathy, diversity and youth-led action.

• Plus Group @Gladstone Terrace Centre via Rhoda Morrow, aged 19. This is an initiative focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth in Gateshead. The group is seeking funding to expand its impact beyond regular group activities, increasing support of neurodivergent or low mental health members and extend the support to members from 19 years up to 25 years of age.

• Triangular CIO via Sarah Dzugova aged 21. This social action project will empower and uplift young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds facing inequalities. Triangle’s Young Persons’ Steering Committee (YPSC) actively shapes the project, aiming to cultivate leadership skills, address community issues, and equip young refugees with practical skills.

• Vision 313 via Suleman Saud, aged 18. Based in Sheffield, this project is driven by young individuals from the V313 welcome space and looks to tackle littering and fly-tipping in the Page Hall/Firth Park area. They aim to raise awareness through traditional and digital media, educate the community, and work with the council to implement strategies.

• FungAll CIC via Thomas Cockcroft aged 24. This innovative project involves mushroom cultivation and repurposing urban waste into nutrition. Led by Thomas, the team aims to create a flagship farm, increasing their capacity to transform waste sustainably, supporting youth training, community feeds, and bioremediation projects, fostering sustainability and well-being.

More information about other young gamechangers will be available soon.